The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, December 25, 1908, Page TWO, Image 2
SEABROOK W2ITES 0F WIRE
LESS.
How It Was Used on Coast of Brit- I
tainy-The Story of the Signal
Towers and Torches.
(By W. B. Seabrook.)
Special to Herald and News.
Roz-sur Cuesnon, France.-In the
latter part of the sixteenth century,
and during the early years of the
seventeenth, a well developed system
of "wireless felegraphy" connected
the coast of Brittainy with the sea
surrounded garrison and monastery
of Mont Saint Michel, .and with the
neighboring coast of Normandy.
A wooden ridge of considerable
height extends along the sea-front of
Brittainy from Pontorson to Cancale,
and a similar but more irregular ser
ies of promontories follows the Nor
man coast, twenty miles opposite,
from Avranches to Granville, while
between lies the bay of Mont Saint
Michel, perhaps the most picturesque
historic spot in western Europe.
Needless to say, the wireless system
here used was not the same as that
exploited by Marconi, but it was Just
as effective in its limited territory.
Crumbling ruins of these primitive
telegraph stations still dot the seaside
hills of Brittainy, and their bleak,
round -towers are intimately connect
ed with the sanguinary and romantic
-Iistory of the holy- mountain whose
medieval ramparts and gothic spires
rise from the treacherous tides and
sands below. These commanding tow
ers were originally erected as wind
mills by men who chose the summits
of the highest hills' overlooking the
ocean, in order that the huge cloth or i'
woolen sails might profit by every
wind that blew, and in more than one'1
spot traces still exist of tortuous,
roughly paved roads, leading from
the valleys to the mi"s.
In 1574, Mont Saint Michel, which
had withstood scores of powerful
enemies, sometimes beseiged by the
English, sometimes by the Huguenots,
was made the objeet of determined as
saults by Montgomery, the Huguenot
leader, Maitre de L'Avranchin, and it
was during this period that fiery mes
sages sped by night to and fro be
tween the beleaguered mountain -and
the hills of Brittainy; from the an
cient windmill towers signal torches
'were wav'ed in wheeling arcs and cir
eles of flame, while monks and sol
diers on the ramparts of the distant
garrison spelled out the meaning of
the symbols. Sometimes, during this
* same epoch, a similar system of sig
nals was used with the island of Jer
sey, and messages were relayed to
points far up the Norman coast.
Apropos of thi Huguenot comn
*mander Montgomery, a dramatic story
*has been reserved, not only on histor
e i parehment, but among the fireside
legends of the Briton fisherfolk. I
*heard it a few weeks ago somewhatI
*as follows, from an aged priest at
- Roz, but the bare facts, shorn of their
glamor, appear in many works treat-.
ing of that period.
While Montgomery was beseiging
the citadel, a small detachment of
Oatholie soldiers was captured during
a sortie for provisons, and while the
B:uguenots were engaged in hanging
.their, prisoners, an officer recognized
among these latter an old comrade
in-arms, whom he begged Montgom
ery to spare;. the request was grant
ed, but on the condition that the lib
erated prisoner turn traitor. He con
sented, and t~he plans were laid.
Two days afterward, just at mid
night, when the traitdr was to take
his turn at mounting guard, the Hu
4guenots were to place themselves at
the foot: of the ramparts, near the
fountain of St. Aubert, just. below the
abbey kitchen, where, by the aid of a
pulley used to hoist water and provis
- ions, the confederate within tthe walls
was to draw up one man-at-arms after
another until a sufficient number had
entered to overpower silently the
night watch, open the gates and admit
the army. After this treacherous ar
rangement, the soldier rejoined his
garrison.
The appointed day arrives, and hap
pens to .be the 29th of September, the
''fete de la Saint Micbel.'' Natur-j
ally, the Archangel does not permnit
the success of the infamous attempt
against his holy mountain, just at the
time the monks are chanting his glory;
he causes the traitor to repent and
confess all to the Abbe.
Midnight approaches, dark and
stormy. The Huguenots hide themsel
ves among the rocks at .the foot of La
Merveille. A light shines in a kitch
en window, followed by a sea-gull's
cry. It is the signal and is answered
* from below. The cord descends. A
lieutenant seizes it and ties it beneath
his armpits. He wishes to mount and
see for hanself that :ll is well with
i'n; aLtarward his comnrades mayi fol
low.
The lieutenant, gradually rising
alono- the slippery surface of the
ebte. di-po inH t! Uhek mnti
of the conduit above; a broadsword b
whistles through the darkness and his v
head rolls silently on the floor. Soon 'I
afterward. a soldier, clothed in the
dead lieutenant's garments, and wear- e
ing his plumed hat, leans from the p
window and motions the waiting Hu- e
guenots to ascend. One by one they s
are lifted by the pulley, one by one u
they disappear in the conduit, and n
one by one their headless bodies are
dragged aside.
Like a monstrous ghoul, the conduit
has already devoured thirty Hugue- 1
nots, when Montgomery himself halt
ed the proceedings. He knew his men.
He was astonished at the obstinate
silence within the walls, and growing
impatient called to ask why the gates o:
were still fast locked. g
"Surely thirty men ought to over- I
Dower a dozen sentries." s
A low voice answered from above, ti
'All goes well; the monks in this v
part of the abbey have all been put to ii
the sword.'' r
"Throw one down," replied the c
Eugenot commander.
A quarter of an hour after the order a
was obeyed, and the body of a monk 2
ama hurling through the air. (The *
lefenders of the citadel had taken a a
?risoner from 'his cell and promised 1
iim his liberty if he kept silent n
while they shaved his head and robed 1
iim in monkish vestments. Then, with ]
i dagger. tLy made good their prom
se.) b
Examining the figure of the cor- 2.
?se, Montgomery was struck by the
eontrast between the parts newly
;h.aven, which were white, and the
-est of the head, which was swarthy.
Ee grew even more suspicious, and, 1
)rave leader that he was, decided to
nount the 'nlley and see for himself; q
)ut as he seized the swinging rope he t,
was gently pushed aside, and it was '
is devoted page who made the as- c,
,ent. In his haste, the boy had not tj
Fastened the rope around his body, f<
but clung to its simply with his
[iands. Reaching the conduit, he let g
Yo the cord, and balanced himself onI.
bhe edge of the sill while he peered
within. A blood-smeared hand is
sued from the darkness to seize him
by the hair, and with one agonizing 5
scream he let himself fall backward,
to be dasbed upon the rocks below.
1Thereupon, the beseiged, who had no
longer any reason for guarding sil
ence, rushed .to the ramparts to show
er stones and arrows on the Hugue
nots, who fled across the sands. That 2
night the torches in Catholic signal
towers wrote ''Victory'' in letters of
flame upon the stormswept sky.
Does It Pan?
It Has .Pai<
A nd It Will
TO TRA:
0O K L ET
WHE]
Honesty Rules Ev
. Special Reduction ii
Article in Every
If You Want to
BUY YOUR CHRISTM
WE SELL THE B
If you compare qi
with the prices char
chants you will see
we offer you. For
are entitledto your
0. K LE1l
The Fair and S
:The Firet Cough
* venz tho~ugh not severe, has a ti
*tive mzembranes of the throat:
Coughs then come easy all wint
* slightest cold.Cretefstc
# set up an Iifamation in the delic
* lungs. The best remedy is
*SYRUP. It at once gets right
moves the cause. It is free fror
a child as for an adult. 25 cents
: MAYES' DRI
/
.Iri t comer' rem:'i ued nollolilier
efore the body of the fallen boy. Hi
7arriors returned and led him awa:
'he page was his son.
Note :-The story of the signal tow
rs and torches has never been i
rint. The old towers herein descril
d are mentioned in the gnide-book
imply and solely as "ancient wini
iils'' and are known to touriesi
ierelv as such.
CENSUS ESTIMATE ISSUED.
1,892,115 Bales Ginned to Decembe
13-South Carolina's Report
Is 1,130,882.
Washington, December 21.-A tota
F 11,892,115 running bales of cotto
inned from the growth of 1908 t
ecember 13, agai;i 9,284,070 at th
ime date of last year and 27,269 a<
ve ginneries, against 27,156 in 190
ere announced by the census burea
i its report today. The figures coun
)und bales as half bales. and ex
lude linters.
The bales ginned to, December 1
ggregate 11,112,789 in 1906, and 9
D7.819 in 1905. The total 1907 cro
as 11,057,822, of which 84 per cen
'as ginned to December 13, crop o
906, 12,983,201, of which 85.65 gir
ed to December 13, and crop o
905, 10,495,105, or 88.6 per cent b
ecember 13.
The report includes 510,209 roun
ales for 1908, 167,204 for 1907, an
13,096 for 1906. Sea island bak
ieluded aggregate 80,187 by State
3 follows:
Florida 31,072: Georgia 37,956
outh Carolina 11,159.
The corrected statistics of th
antity of cotton ginned this seaso
December 1. are 11,008,661 bale.
he report of cotton ginned to Dc
mber 13 last, and the number of a<
ve ginneries res~pectively by State
)llow:
Alabama 1,263,700 bales, and 3,44
inneries.
Arkansas 846,701, and 2,102.
'Florida 64,131, and 255.
Georgia 1,869,346, and 4,449.
Kansas, Kentucky and Mexico 1
00, and 5.
Louisiana 434,741, and 1,681.
Mississippi 1,440,012, and. 3,454.
Missouri 50,386, and 77..
North Carolina 615,191, and 2,72
Oklahoma 495,252, and 979.
-South Carolina 1,130,882, and 3
07.
-Tennessee 302,577, and 639.
Texas, 3,365,989, and 4,133.
Virg4nia 11,767, and 117.
'Whg Noil
:i Others,
Pay You
DE AT
['N E R'S
R~E
ery Transaction.
1 Price on Every
De partment.
Save Money
S GOODS FROM US
EST FOR LESS.
ality and prices
ged by other mer
the great saving
these reasons we
trade. : : : :
ETNER
quare Dealer.
of the Season,
endency to irritate the sensi
and delicate bronchial tu~bes.
er, every time yon iiake mie
ugh before it has a chance to 4
ate capillary air tubes of the ~
QUICK RELIEF COUGH9
t the seat of tr. uble anid re
a Morpine and is as stafelfor &
JO STORE
Mrs. Alice Robertson
TEACHER OF
Voice, Piano and Harmony
Studio Over Mower's Store.
Open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thurn
s days and Fridays.
Phone 263.
Buying a Piano
or an Organ
is not hard
I when you come or write to us.
o Our Pianos and Organs are guarantee
and up-to-date, and at a reasonable pric<
The cases are beautiful, the inside
made by the best and most experience
7 men in their line, so it is no wonder ou
Pianos and Organs hold their sweet toa
a lifetime.
Write us at once for catalog and speci
prices and terms, stating preferenc
Piano or Organ.
3 Malone's Music House, Columbia, S. (
- PIANOS AND ORGANS.
t o CDe
f P
t~
sAW. 0. Housea, Mn. D~
ffice HoursC- 3 to 4 m.
L. A. Riser, .M. D.
eOffice urith Dr. Housea1.
e . .f 8to 9a.im.
a Office Hours - 2 to 3p. m.
.,6.30 to 7.30 P. N
-Boozer Bros.
CITY MARKET,
1311 Main Street
Fresh Meat.
t.Quick Service.
Phone 34
FANCY GROCERIES,
The best the market:
. . afford.
p We sk a Trial Order.
'BOOZER BROS
Beginning December 5th an
lasting for 15 days, we wi
rmake a sacrifice sale by givin
25 PER CENT. DISCOUN
on all Clothing, Shoes an
Hats, and special low price
aon all Dry Goods, Notion
and Underwear. This sa1
is made for the purpose of clos
ing up the business of th
S. S. BIRGE CO.
as a corporation. The good
must be sold. Don't wait, bu
come ear.y.
A-styp-to-dyn.
Made from.-the long leaf pine. Th
greatest remedy to present tixnr. Fc
sale at Mayes' Drug Store.
12-11-08-taw-tf.
Holiday Excursion Rates Seaboar
Air Line Railway.
The Seaboard Air Line R,ailwa
will sell excursion tickets account o
Christmas and New Year holiday
from and to all stations on its lines
aso from coupon stations to point
on connection lines in the Southeast
on Dee. i8. 19. 2.3. 24, 25. 30, 31 ent
Jan. 1st. good to~ return until Jan
6th, 1909. Get full information fron
narest Sabohard ticket agent.
CALL
FOR
Chrislinas Ci
Nuts, I
We can Sul
TABLE D
that will ple
CRANBERRIE5
for your C
New Year's
If you want
to Eat" call
ToyslTC
. We are sel
remnant of 4
at your own
Fire Works!
S. B. JO
,Y OU R E
THlE NEWSERRY
ICapital $50,000 -
No Matter How Small,
"The Newberra
- ill give it careful a
1 pplies to the men anc
s JAS. McINTOSH.
s President.
SOME OFO01
To be conservative.
it To pay four per cent.
To calculate interest se
To bond every employe
To be progressive and:
To lend our money to<
To treat our patrons cc
To be liberal and pronm
To secure busmness f rot
TO BE THE VTERY E
TO DO BUSINES
rOur institution is under the
examined by the State Bank ]
The Bank ol
DR. PO.P osper
DR G O.Y.HUNTER,
President.
J. F. BRmyNE
UNLIS
YOU&i
Indies, Fruits,
itc., etc.
>ply you .with
ILICACIES
ase you.
i AND CELERY
hristmas and
Dinner. : :
things "Good
on us. : ::,
yS! Toys
ling ,out the -
Dur Toy stock
price. . .
Fire Works.H
Crocari,
IES, Prop.
EANKING!
SAVINGS DANK,
-- -Surplus $80,000)
i'te Matter. How Large,
7' Savings Bank
ttention. This message
I the women alike,
Jv. E~ NORWOOD,
JR POLICIFS:
mi-annually,
e.
iccomm.odating.
>ur customers.
urteously.
pt.
2 all classes.
EST BANK FOR YOU
S WITH.
supervision of and regularly
sxammner.
ProsperitU,
-ity, S. C.
DR. J. S. WHEELER,
V. President.
J. A. COUNTS,
Asasistant Cashier.